The Gardenia, a popular flowering houseplant, is considered challenging by many indoor gardeners. This plant is, in fact quite simple to grow under the proper conditions. Lustrous foliage and fragrant blossoms will be your reward if you can provide the…
Just about everyone that has ever purchased a Ficus Benjamina tree (commonly known as the weeping fig), has had to drag out the vacuum, broom, or even a rake to clean up those leaves that have dropped. All too often the concerned plant owner tries to water more, or water less, re-pot it, feed it, move it into more light, or move it into less light. Simply put, the plant just gets confused, and so do we.
Bromeliads are easy-to-grow indoor plants. They are greatly adaptable to air-conditioned surroundings and less-than-ideal light levels, and tolerant of the neglect imposed on them by the hectic pace of modern living. Bromeliads (Bro-meel-ee-ads) are members of a large family of…
One of the pleasures of the transition from summer to fall to winter is that our greenhouses once again are chock full of blooming plants to make your home more cheerful. Although a lot of attention is lavished on the…
Let’s remember the plants of Christmas past. They aren’t with us the way they used to be. The reason? People’s houses then were cold, by our standards. Early houses had fireplaces—the earliest had huge, walk-in hearths—which did triple duty in…
The holidays are here again, and among the icons of our celebrations is the beautiful poinsettia from south of the border. The history of this popular plant is indeed colorful, according to the University of Illinois, from which we obtain…
In the early years, Behnke Nurseries became rightly famous for its African violets. This all began many years ago when Albert and Rose Behnke’s young daughter Sonja, (who recently retired as President of Behnke Nurseries) received a gift from a…
Beyond the African Violet: Meet the Family Some of the most beautiful and easily grown plants for the home are members of the Gesneriad (pronounced either “jez-NARE-ee-ad or “guess-NARE-ee-ad) family, or Gesneriaceae in botanical Latin. The family, named for the…
Spectacular outdoor containers overflowing with a variety of plants are one of the hottest trends in gardening today. Creating extraordinary plant combinations in the home using indoor plants has never been easier. In fact, plants like to be grouped together…